Value Points Subsystem
Introduction In the crossroads setting, unlike traditional pathfinder settings, there is no singular currency that spans the entire world and is equally valued everywhere. In different places, payment may come in cocoa beans, bank notes, metallic coins, shells, beads, crafts, or any number of other materials and currencies. As such, there’s no one ‘default’ unit of wealth. In its place, all items have a value, expressed in value points, or VP, which makes for much more flexible trades. A single value point is worth approximately as much as a gold piece in traditional pathfinder. Value points are an abstraction, an artificial construct of value that does not actually exist in the game world itself. Nobody will mention how many value points an item is worth, or brag about how many VP they have in furs, or ask for a number of value points in payment. Usually, the value points necessary will be converted into the local currency, but in some places the trading is more intuitive than that. Trading When making a trade, both parties make an offer of an item, a collection of items, or an amount of currency, the total value of which is expressed in VP. Whether or not either character will accept the offer, haggle, or walk away from the trade is up to the character in question, but as a general rule of thumb, most traders will accept a trade if the offer is worth VP greater than their offer. Value is a very flexible thing, depending on supply and demand. A village in the midst of a terrible famine has a low supply of food and a high demand for it, and a canny trader could sell it for a dramatic profit in such a place. However, they would likely have very little demand luxury goods, and a trader carrying gold or silver would probably be out of luck in such a village. As such, GMs may adjust the effective VP of an offer up or down by up to 25%, depending on the situation and the offer. Haggling There are two main forms of haggling that can make a deal go a little better for a trader with a quick tongue and a friendly demeanor. The one looking for the better deal is referred to as the negotiator, and the other trader is referred to as the target. The easiest way to get a good deal is to be on good terms with the trader in question. To do this, the negotiator can make a diplomacy check to improve the trader’s attitude toward them, as with a normal diplomacy check. The grid below indicates how the target’s attitude affects the value of the negotiator’s offer. Helpful +10% Friendly +5% Indifferent 0% Unfriendly -5% Hostile -10% Some will be aggressive, attempting to sell their goods as though they were more valuable than they actually are, either exaggerating the value of their goods, or pointing out nonexistent flaws in their opponent’s. The negotiator using this tactic makes a bluff check, opposed by the target’s sense motive check. If the negotiator’s bluff is successful, they increase the effective total value of their offer by 5%, plus an additional 5% for every 5 points they beat the opponent’s sense motive check by. If the target’s sense motive is successful, they realize they are being played, and the souring of the mood causes their attitude toward the attacker to drop at least one step. The negotiator cannot attempt a new bluff check against that target for the next 24 hours.